Wisconsin

Powerful GOP majority doesn’t create jobs bills, claims it was powerless

Wisconsin has a Republican governor, a Republican majority in the state Senate, and a Republican majority in the state Assembly, not to mention a conservative stronghold in the State Supreme Court. Yet, the GOP is claiming they are powerless to pass any key job creation legislation this session: Gov. Scott Walker and his fellow Republicans […]

Let’s #OccupyWalker

Scott Walker and Wall Street share a common agenda: destroy the middle class while protecting the interests of big corporations and the rich. But we’re fighting back. On Monday November 14, One Wisconsin Now will launch #OccupyWalker — an online movement to publicize the disastrous policies of the pro-corporate, anti-middle class Scott Walker administration. #OccupyWalker […]

Walker’s False Choice on Cutting 65,000 from Health Care, Including 29,000 Children

MADISON, Wis. — Gov. Scott Walker continues to choose corporate special interest donors over the people of Wisconsin — offering a scheme that would cut health care for 65,000 Wisconsinites to pay off part of his $2.3 billion in new tax breaks for corporations and the rich passed since he took office. “Gov. Walker’s corporate […]

Domino effect: Results in Ohio could spell trouble for Walker’s agenda

Gov. Scott Walker’s now denying the results in Ohio have any bearing on Wisconsin, but back in February when a prankster pretending to be David Koch called his phone, Walker spilled the beans about connecting with other anti-union, Republican governors: WALKER: That’s all they wanna talk is what are you doing to help in the […]

John Nichols: Cain, Koch, Walker and the smoking man

Herman Cain’s smoking campaign manager, Mark Block, was the Koch brothers’ man in Wisconsin until two days before Gov. Scott Walker’s inauguration. That’s when he switched from controversy-plagued campaigning at the state level to controversy-plagued campaigning at the national level. The group One Wisconsin Now described the plan as “a coordinated plot by the Republican […] [Capital Times]

Tommy Thompson refuses to disclose big business, lobbyist connections

A new video highlights the fact that “Despite already declaring himself a candidate for Wisconsin’s open Senate seat, former Gov. Tommy Thompson has refused to disclose his business interests and lobbying firm clients to the state’s voters.” We took Thompson to task in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for just this reason: Thompson hasn’t had to disclose […]

Newspapers across WI pan Scott Walker’s special jobs session

Here are some clips from various newspapers criticizing Scott Walker and the GOP majority for refusing to do anything of substance about Wisconsin’s rising unemployment during their so-called special jobs session: From the Sheboygan Press: [T]he biggest news out of the session was the passage of the “castle” bill that gives presumed immunity to people who […]

GOP special jobs session about sex, guns, and landlords

While Republicans claim they’re focused “like a laser” on job creation during the so-called special jobs session, Zach at Blogging Blue has compiled a list of these bills pushed by Republicans. Ask yourself how many jobs each of these would create: Passed AB 69, a bill implementing the “Castle Doctrine” providing immunity to property owners […]

For a Close Aide to Herman Cain, Scrutiny Comes on Two Fronts

Until this week, Mark Block was famous as the guy who inhaled in a Herman Cain campaign Web video that went viral. Scot Ross, executive director of One Wisconsin Now, a liberal advocacy group, mordantly credited Americans for Prosperity with “derailing a discussion about how we had to move to more clean energy, which is where […] [New York Times]

Wisconsin GOP Stumbles in Effort to Rig Recalls

Republican efforts to inoculate themselves against recall hit a snag Monday when a moderate Republican announced his opposition to a plan that would permit recalls to happen in newly-drawn partisan districts. Scot Ross of the liberal One Wisconsin Now says of the last-minute bill that “if Mary Lazich thought recall signature notarization was such an issue, she […] [PR Watch]

Unearthed Walker video may stymie bigoted conservative agenda

The bigoted attitudes stirred up by a conservative think tank in September have apparently spilled over into November. With no real ideas on how to create jobs, Gov. Scott Walker’s Republican majority and Democrat Peggy Krusick turned to pushing archaic legislation one would expect from the deep south: a bill that would “remove race as one factor for […]

Walker’s GOP nixes cameras in Capitol, OKs guns [Really?]

The Green Bay Press-Gazette has taken to the editorial page to air a grievance with the Republican majority deciding that the public cannot bring cameras into the legislative galleries, but will allow guns: Both the Assembly and Senate have maintained rules that prohibit the use of cameras, cell phones and video equipment in the public […]

Lazich voted for to kill notary requirement she now wants for Walker recall

When it comes to sheer partisan hackery, there is no substitute for GOP Sen. Mary Lazich of New Berlin. Lazich, an author of the Jim Crow-era voter suppression ID bill, has now dumped a slew of sleazy legislations to try and save Gov. Scott Walker and the razor-thin Republican Senate majority. And now it’s requiring […]

Republican Senator Schultz to vote against recall changes.

Sen. Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center) told the Associated Press on Monday that he would not votefor a bill introduced on Friday by Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) that would immediately put into place new legislative districts created by the recent Republican-led redistricting plan.”Mary Lazich believes that only Republicans should get to vote,” said Scot Ross, […] [Dane 101]

Cigarette-smoking Cain aide dogged by voter suppression claims

Following the release of an ad showing him puffing on a cigarette, an adviser for Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain is facing some extra scrutiny — and it isn’t just about his nicotine habit. The liberal group One Wisconsin Now revealed audio tapes last year that suggested the then-AFP director was involved in a “voter caging” […] [Raw Story]

Mary Lazich versus democracy

One Wisconsin Now’s Scot Ross summed things up well when he said: “Mary Lazich believes that only Republicans should get to vote. She believes that only Republicans should be able to use the recall process. If Mary Lazich thought recall signature notarization was such an issue, she had the last 20 years of her undistinguished […] [Capital Times]

One Wisconsin Now Prevails in Open Records Lawsuit Against Alberta Darling

MADISON, Wis. — One Wisconsin Now has settled a lawsuit filed in August in Dane County Circuit Court against state Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) over her office’s refusal to release correspondence sought under the state’s open records law detailing her office’s communications with private school advocates. The settlement requires payment of One Wisconsin Now’s […]

Darling Settles Lawsuit over Group’s Open Records Request

One Wisconsin Now says the lawmaker finally filled a request, which reveals email communication with a group that spent money on TV ads during her recall election campaign. Sen. Alberta Darling settled a lawsuit by responding to an open records request filed by local liberal-leaning group One Wisconsin Now last summer. [Menomonee Falls Patch]

Koch group selling Walker agenda ahead of recall

Koch Industries and its front group Americans for Prosperity spent roughly a million dollars helping to put Scott Walker in the governor’s mansion and another half a million dollars protecting his recalled state senators. Now, Koch’s AFP and their sister organization the MacIver Institute are teaming up to help Scott Walker yet again. Just in time […]

Oshkosh Northwestern: Walker’s corporate special interest session NOT about jobs

Make no mistake: Gov. Scott Walker and the GOP majority’s corporate special interest session is not about jobs. The Oshkosh Northwestern editorialized against their backward agenda, writing “Looks like the only thing harder to find than a job in Wisconsin is a jobs bill during the legislature’s special session on jobs.” Take a look at the […]

Herman Cain’s Koch Connection

Scot Ross, executive director of One Wisconsin Now, talks with Rachel Maddow about the Koch brothers backing of Herman Cain, whose candidacy is oddly successful for someone without a fully formed campaign operation. [MSNBC]

Report: Walker will FAIL to meet job creation campaign promise

An economic forecast by Gov. Scott Walker’s own administration predicts that Wisconsin will fall far short of adding the 250,000 new private-sector jobs by 2015 that the governor promised as a key part of his successful election campaign. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, not only because Gov. Scott Walker has broken campaign promises […]

Walker pulling out health care safety net from hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites

Despite claiming to keep a basic safety net for low-income families for health insurance through the state’s popular BadgerCare program, around 215,000 children and adults will likely see a steep reduction in the health care services they’re currently able to get.  Now keep in mind, BadgerCare only provides basic health services – services to help people […]

Top Herman Cain aide at center of “smoking” ad has a checkered past.

In 2010, a liberal group, One Wisconsin Now, said it had obtained an audio recording of a tea party meeting that indicated Block was involved in an effort to try to prevent legal voters from casting ballots in Democratic-leaning neighborhoods. A tea party organizer says on the audio that Americans for Prosperity had agreed to […] [Daily Reporter]

Wisconsin Voter ID Law Faces Court Challenge

Critics of the voter ID law have compared it to a “poll tax” intended to prevent groups that traditionally vote Democratic from going to the polls. The progressive group One Wisconsin Now has argued that many DMV offices are inconvenient and difficult to reach for people who may have low incomes, not be able to drive […] [Huffington Post]

Wisconsin From A-Zia: Walker Cuts to UW System Top $300 Million

Cuts are happening right and left in the state of Wisconsin, and the UW system is getting hit especially hard. Between 2011-2013 Walker will force the UW system to cut $65.8 million, and this does not include the $250 million base budget reduction. Overall, there will be about $300 million worth of cuts to the […]

Tommy Thompson campaign won’t cut lobbyist connections

Thompson, who has a host of consulting and other business relationships, told reporters he would sever or suspend some of those financial ties as he ran for Senate, but he declined to elaborate. Thompson hasn’t had to disclose his financial interests yet in federal candidate filings. But groups like the liberal One Wisconsin Now were […]

Bill to repeal Healthy Youth Act is latest attack on children and schools

On Wednesday October 19th, Walker’s Legislature will hold a hearing on a Bill to Repeal the Healthy Youth Act. Just one more attack on Wisconsin children and schools. The Healthy Youth Act provides for sex-education in the classrooms and has contributed to lowering teen pregnancy in Wisconsin to the lowest it has been since the […]

Walker Toasting Chamber of Commerce Lobby, Refusing to Meet Unemployed Workers

MADISON, Wis. — One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross released the following statements on Gov. Scott Walker’s appearance at the 100th anniversary party for the corporate special interest lobbying group, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, while he continues to host a public event with middle class families in need. One Wisconsin Now is the founder […]

WI From A-Zia: How to avoid keeping campaign promises, a lesson from Gov. Scott Walker

  It shouldn’t come as a surprise to any Wisconsinite that Governor Scott Walker has issues fulfilling his campaign promises. One of Scott Walker’s many campaign promises was that he and Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch would pay their state pensions in full immediately upon taking office: “As governor, I’ll pay my share toward my retirement […]

Is Walker afraid that public jobs summits would get “Occupied?”

After charging the “public” $50 to hear what he has to say about job creation in Green Bay, holding small invitation-only events in La Crosse and Milwaukee, and hosting a “job creation forum” at the University of Wisconsin Research Park MGE Innovation Center (which apparently is so private it’s not even listed on the UW Research […]

Long ties to Koch brothers key to Cain’s campaign

Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain has cast himself as the outsider, the pizza magnate with real-world experience who will bring fresh ideas to the nation’s capital. But Cain’s economic ideas, support and organization have close ties to two billionaire brothers who bankroll right-leaning causes through their group Americans for Prosperity. “Herman Cain is the first […] [The Sacramento Bee]

No Humanity in Family Care Cap Freeze

Talk about despicable. Family Care provides critical assistance to approximately 35,000. Scott Walker, however, is more concerned with the taking away of collective bargaining rights and his upcoming recall than the livelihoods of people with disabilities.  Walker’s proposed July freeze on Family Care enrollment illustrates just how callous he is. This freeze does nothing more […]

Wisconsin Gov. Walker broke campaign promise on paying full cost of pension

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who forced public workers to pay more for their pensions as part of a push to curb union rights, broke his campaign promise to pay the full cost of his state pension immediately after taking office in January. “It is indefensible Scott Walker promised to live by these rules and then […] [Boston Globe]

Wisconsin Gov. Walker broke campaign promise on paying full cost of pension.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who forced public workers to pay more for their pensions as part of a push to curb union rights, broke his campaign promise to pay the full cost of his state pension immediately after taking office in January. “It is indefensible Scott Walker promised to live by these rules and then […] [St. Paul Pioneer Press]

Lawmaker proposes allotting electoral votes by congressional district

State Rep. Dan LeMahieu (left) is circulating legislation to divvy up most of Wisconsin’s electoral votes according to who wins each congressional district rather than the current winner-takes-all system. Scot Ross of the liberal One Wisconsin Now called it the latest GOP effort to rig the ballot box. ”The depths to which Republicans in Wisconsin will sink to rig […] [WisPolitics]

Wisconsin GOP Lawmaker Proposes Change to Presidential Voting System

“The depths to which Republicans in Wisconsin will sink to rig elections appear to be bottomless,” said Scot Ross, an executive director for a progressive communications group called One Wisconsin Now. “Republicans are attacking the foundation of how Wisconsin participates in electing the President of the United States.” [International Business Times]

Lawmaker wants state to split Electoral College votes

Wisconsin would split its Electoral College votes for president between Republicans and Democrats, rather than giving them all to the winner, under a bill drawing attention in the state Assembly. The proposal drew swift opposition from the liberal group One Wisconsin Now. “The depths to which Republicans in Wisconsin will sink to rig elections appear […] [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

Crime and Courts: Interesting twist — GOP issued warning of fanatics with weapons.

Scot Ross, the director of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now, couldn’t pass up a comment on the irony. He sent me Courtney’s letter, which is attached to this post, with the following comment: “With Scott Walker and the Republicans, you always follow the money. In May, they used the threat of guns in the […] [Capital Times]

GOP hypocrisy, caving to gun manufacturing lobby in current concealed carry dust-up

It started with JB Van Hollen’s epic cave in the face of pressure from the gun manufacturing lobby attacking plan to require actual training in order to get a concealed carry permit.   But always the wily veterans, Scott and Jeff Fitzgerald took the hypocrisy to a new level this week, telling reporters that not […]

Concealed Carry Contradictions

A curious pattern has emerged in Wisconsin. Most politicians favor concealed carry of weapons – so long as it’s not allowed in the building where they work. The irony of the situation is that the law made an exception for law enforcement offices – like those of the Department of Justice agents who work for […] [Inside Milwaukee]

Van Hollen’s Gun Bravery From Behind Locked Doors, Guarded Office

Time and again, scion to a Republican fortune and our state’s Attorney General JB “John Noe” Van Hollen has proven he is a partisan hack instead of the state’s top cop. Van Hollen is the perfect Roscoe P. Coltrane to Scott Walker’s corrupt Boss Hogg. Van Hollen refused to join the John Doe investigation of […]

PBM Takeover

Here’s something to consider when it comes to consolidation and access to health care. Take a look at those who process your medicinal orders and who you may depend on for your mail order prescriptions. Pharmacy Benefit Managers, or PBMs, are the third party supervisors that manage our prescription plans. They are an integral part […]

Legislature to Debate Vouchers: A Cornerstone of Walker’s Strategy to Privatize Schools

A Committee of the WI State Senate will meet Wednesday Oct 5 to discuss a proposal which would prohibit further expansion of school vouchers. The move is a response by a bi-partisan group of Senators to stem the advance of the school voucher program. The existing Milwaukee school voucher program was expanded from Milwaukee to Racine […]